what i've been doing #20: Pole lathe

I had seen a few Bodgers on you tube and the pole lathe looked to be an early tool that was easy to build and I thought be fun to play with. So I set out on a mission to build on and see what it was like.Here is a picture of the head and tail stock. They are adjustable. The frame is 2/4

I placed all thread in the stocks so you can fine adjust. They are fixed on both sides of the stock with nuts.

the pedal is a frame with a door hinge to a base for stability.

I bought some cheep tools for a test run. Harbor Freight specials.

The pole part was replaced by bungee cords.

A test piece of pine.

And finally I took a chunk of that cedar limb and made me a mallet.

I do like the lathe. With some proper cutting tools and a lot of green wood this could be fun. Who needs to go to the gym and use the tread mill. I got a pole lathe and the sweat produces tools ;)Thanks for viewing.

That is so cool. I love it. I only wish my funds would get straightened out so I can make a trip down and see you work it in person.Before you ask, no, I only want to watch YOU work it.

Do you like your Harbour Freight lathe tools? If so, I got a crap load I have around for only when I want to make some oddball tools, usually when I’m trying something crazy and am about to really mess up something good.If you’re interested, I’d be more than happy to part with some of them.

I also have a spur center off an older lathe I no longer have if you’re interested in them. They don’t fit my current lathe. They’re from a harbor freight lathe that bit the dust early on. They are an oddball thread size. You may be able to put them to good use though on this. I’m thinking if you can center it on one of the althread pieces and wrap your cord around the hex shape of the part, it would free up more room on your work piece. I don’t know if I’m making sense on this one. Next time we meet in person, I’ll show it to you and try to explain it better.

That is nice though. I hope you change legs often so one doesn’t get bigger than the other. If not, your legs will soon look like mine. My left leg (you can’t tell because of the brace) is about half the size as my right.